NEW YORK — Dennis Smith Jr. scored the Knicks' first basket. DeAndre Jordan had a block 53 seconds into the game.

Two of the newest Knicks made plays early.

But in the end, this was just another Knicks loss as they fell, 96-84, to the Memphis Grizzlies Sunday at Madison Square Garden.

The Knicks have now lost 13 straight games and 14 in a row at home.

It was the Knicks debut for Smith, Jordan and Wesley Matthews, all of whom came over in Thursday's trade that sent Kristaps Porzingis, Tim Hardaway Jr., Courtney Lee and Trey Burke to the Dallas Mavericks.

New York Knicks center DeAndre Jordan (6) talks to guard Dennis Smith Jr. (5) during the second quarter against the Memphis Grizzlies at Madison Square Garden.(Photo11: Brad Penner/USA TODAY Sports)

Fizdale didn't waste any time getting a look at two of his new players, inserting Smith and Jordan into his starting lineup.

Jordan finished with 12 points and 12 rebounds, while Smith had eight points and six assists.

"I want them to just come in here and contribute as veterans, similar to the veterans that we lost," Fizdale said before the game. "Really try to instill a defensive mindset to these young guys. Help them understand competition on a different level. ...They’re ours now, free agents at the end of the year but who knows. I want them to come here and enjoy the process with us and really help the young guys.’’

With Emmanuel Mudiay and Frank Ntilikina out with injuries and Burke gone, the Knicks are short on point guards. So that opened up an immediate opportunity for Smith, who averaged 12.9 points and 4.3 assists per game for the Mavs.

"Just play free," Fizdale said. "He's gotten zero practice time in. These guys haven't played any basketball with the other guys. I don’t want them overthinking. We’ll keep it loose. I want them to compete hard defensively, run and push the ball."

The last game Smith played?

Wednesday against the Knicks.

He finished with 13 points, 10 rebounds and 15 assists.

Watching the film of that game was a little different for Fizdale after the trade was finalized.

"The first time I watched it I watched it in pain," Fizdale said. "The second time I watched it I smiled. He’s definitely got talent. Hopefully I could just continue to grow that and put him in a position to be successful."

Smith had some solid moments Sunday. He had an nice alley-oop pass to Jordan and at one point drove to the basket off a screen to draw the defense before kicking it out to Kevin Knox in the left corner.

Knox, who finished with a team-high 17 points on 5-of-18 shooting, swished a three.

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Smith hasn't practiced with the Knicks yet because the trade wasn't finalized until after the team practiced Saturday.

So he didn't know much of the team's offense in his debut.

"To try and run the show, it was different," Smith said. "It was different. I had a lot of guys trying to help me out, Frank [Ntilikina], [Emmanuel] Mudiay. They were giving me little tips throughout the game on what’s supposed to happen."

Jordan, who averaged 11 points and 13.7 rebounds with the Mavericks, replaced Luke Kornet in the starting five.

New York Knicks head coach David Fizdale (right) talks to Knicks center DeAndre Jordan (6) during the first quarter against the Memphis Grizzlies at Madison Square Garden.(Photo11: Brad Penner/USA TODAY Sports)

He's strong defensively, and was twice named to All-NBA first defensive teams. Jordan showed it with the block in the first minute.

Fizdale said Jordan is a good player for rookie center Mitchell Robinson, who was out Sunday because of illness, to learn from.

"You can’t put a price on that," Fizdale said. "Where you’ve got a guy who, this is what we want Mitchell to become. An elite defender. A guy who does it with discipline, who does it with his voice, who has tremendous athleticism."

Matthews had a rough first game as a Knick, finishing five five points on 2-of-8 shooting.

There's been some speculation that Matthews or Jordan could be traded before Thursday's deadline or bought out.